Dog Adrift: Day 22

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

It seems the fate of the little dog Forgea, adrift in the Pacific has now garnered the close attention of the U.S. Coast Guard, as the ship has meandered into U.S. waters near Johnston Island and the USCG is reportedly taken over the recovery of the abandoned tanker. The Coast Guard was sending a salvage tug on a three-day trip to assess the potential environmental danger to the island.
The burned-out tanker is said to be carrying in excess of 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil.
The American Quest, the same ship contracted by the Hawaiian Humane Society to rescue Forgea on April 5, has now been contracted by the U.S. Coast Guard to remove the disabled Insinko because of potential for environmental impact. The Insiko is drifting closer to Johnston Atoll with the 2-year-old dog Forgea still onboard.
Hawaiian Humane Society President Pamela Burns said that the Humane Society is providing supplies that will be utilized to safely capture the dog. “We will provide humane animal traps and tasty treats for the American Quest crew to use, and show them how everything works,” said Burns. “The goal is to retrieve Forgea and have her transferred to the American Quest for safe voyage back to Honolulu.” The American Quest departs Honolulu Harbor at approximately 9 p.m. on April 23 for the 2-day trip to the Insiko in the Pacific Ocean.
“If Forgea is not contained by the humane animal trap,” Burns said, “arrangements will be made for Hawaiian Humane Society staff to go onboard and retrieve her while the ship is still in open water.”
The Humane Society will provide updates on the rescue upon further developments. News releases will also be available on the Society’s Web site at www.hawaiianhumane.org.